Applying to osteopathic (DO) medical schools is just as confusing, daunting, and tedious a task as it is to apply to allopathic (MD) medical schools. There are so many different steps to keep track of, and on top of that, you need to tailor your application to osteopathic medicine. A successful AACOMAS application requires patience, dedication, and the ability to juggle many moving pieces at once.
Use our osteopathic medical school application guide to understand the primary application process. We’ll outline an ideal application timeline, what you need to include in your application, mistakes to avoid, and frequently asked questions.
AMCAS vs. AACOMAS vs. TMDSAS Med School Applications—what’s the difference, and how do you choose?
Osteopaths (DOs) differentiate themselves from allopathic doctors (MDs) with a whole-body, holistic approach that treats the person—not the symptoms. The focus of osteopathic medicine is preventing illness from ever occurring and recognizing the connections between the various systems and organs in the body and how they influence each other.
DOs have to complete four years of medical school followed by residency, just like MDs. Nearly every specialization available to an MD is available to a DO as well. That being said, generally, a DO degree does not have the same reputation as an MD degree. This is somewhat due to the fact that the statistics for acceptance for DO schools are often lower than allopathic (MD) schools. DOs also have a harder time practicing medicine outside of the United States.
Learn more about osteopathic principles and the differences between an MD and a DO in our guide: What Is a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy)?
There are many reasons why you might choose to attend a DO school over an allopathic (MD) school. In some cases, it comes down to your philosophy on how to best treat people. DOs take pride in focusing on preventative medicine with a holistic approach to patient care.
Reasons to choose a DO school:
If you want to attend an MD school but don’t have the right grades or MCAT score, Med School Insiders can help. Contact our team to learn more about our MCAT Tutoring, Courses, and Application Editing Services.
AACOMAS (The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service) is the centralized online application service for colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States. It is the primary application method for students pursuing osteopathic medicine.
AACOMAS simplifies the process of applying to osteopathic medical schools by only requiring students to submit one set of application materials. So long as you are only applying to DO schools, AACOMAS verifies, processes, and submits your materials to the schools you choose.
The AACOMAS application opens for submissions around the beginning of May each year, and colleges start receiving applications around mid-June. Aim to get your application in soon after submissions open for your best chance of success.
Due to rolling admissions, your likelihood of getting into medical school decreases the later you submit your application, so staying on top of deadlines is critical. By deadlines, we don’t mean the last deadline for submissions—you should complete your primary application and your secondaires well before the actual deadline for submission.
Follow our timeline, which includes possible and ideal schedules.
A high GPA and MCAT score is definitely something to be proud of, but they’re not as essential to your medical school application as you may think, and by and large, they’re even less essential to osteopathic schools.
Although GPA and MCAT score averages vary from year to year, depending on the type of school and specific institution you’re looking at, there are some common trends. In general, osteopathic (DO) schools require lower GPA and MCAT scores for acceptance.
The following are score averages of matriculants to DO schools for overall GPA averages and total MCAT scores. These are the average scores, so in order to be competitive, aim to make your own scores higher.
Average GPA and MCAT score for AACOMAS Matriculants :
AACOMAS Overall GPA Average: 3.54
AACOMAS MCAT Score Average: 504.31
Average GPA and MCAT score for AMCAS Matriculants:
AMCAS Overall GPA Average: 3.75
AMCAS MCAT Score Average: 511.90
Why do you want to become an osteopath?
The key difference between the AACOMAS and AMCAS personal statement is that AACOMAS asks a more specific question than why do you want to be a doctor? It asks why you want to study osteopathic medicine specifically.
A personal statement is your opportunity to sell yourself to admissions committees and let them know who you are beyond your grades. What sets you apart? What inspired your desire to devote your life to healing people? It’s your chance to highlight your unique strengths and past experiences and speak about how they have shaped your aspiration to become an osteopath. Admissions committees want to know that you have the passion, ability, and will needed to succeed in osteopathic medical school.
Learn more about what makes AACOMAS personal statements different in our AACOMAS Personal Statement Guide.
Becoming an osteopath is hard. It involves four grueling years of school followed by residency, and admissions committees want to know you’re ready to face the long, challenging road ahead. Your personal statement demonstrates who you are deep down, beyond your GPA, MCAT score, and list of accomplishments.
The personal statement can only be 5300 characters in length, which is roughly 1.5 pages of single-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font. It’s not a great deal of space, so the challenge is selecting the key moments in your life that made you want to become a DO and communicating them succinctly.
Keep in mind that writing your personal statement will take a long time. Don’t set aside an afternoon to tackle this thing; get thinking about this aspect of your application as soon as possible. Give yourself plenty of time to reflect on your life and brainstorm ideas.
What are the character traits you’re most proud of? What are the things people notice most about you? What do you need admissions committees to know about you? Pick moments from your life that exemplify your best qualities.
Read our 11 step guide on How to Write a Personal Statement for tips on getting started, what to include, and common mistakes to avoid.
Letters of recommendation, often called evaluations for AACOMAS applications, play a critical role in your application. It could be argued that they are even more important than the personal statement since they provide insight into what respected professionals think about you to admissions committees.
Start building relationships with your professors early on to ensure you receive strong letters of recommendation. Having more letters than you need or letters from well-known physicians isn’t as important as making sure your letter writers know you well and think highly of you. A bland or neutral letter of recommendation can hinder your application and chances of acceptance.
Aim for 4-5 evaluation letters in total, but always check the requirements for each of the schools you are applying to. Each school has its own expectations for letters of recommendation. It is recommended that you submit evaluations through the Letters by Liaison portal.
A key difference between applying to MD schools versus DO schools is that you need to secure at least one letter of recommendation from a DO.
AACOMAS Letters of Recommendation:
Read our AACOMAS Letters of Recommendation Guide for critical information on who to ask, how to ask, what to provide, and common mistakes to avoid.
The AACOMAS application has a section dedicated to Experiences and Achievements, and there is no limit to how many you can add. On the AMCAS application, this section is called Work & Activities and Most Meaningful Experiences.
There’s also an opportunity to complete mini-essays for various extenuating circumstances. On the AACOMAS application, there’s an Economically Disadvantaged checklist instead of the essay opportunity on the AMCAS application.
Note that when you type in AACOMAS you see both a character count AND a word count. Limits are listed in characters.
Learn more about the AACOMAS Experiences and Achievements Section, including what admissions committees are looking for and how to prepare.
No matter what application service you are using to apply to medical school, the process is tedious and complex. Just one oversight, mistake, or missed piece of the puzzle could be the difference between acceptance or another year of preparation.
Serious medical school applicants seek advice and guidance from those who have been through the process before. Read our list of common medical school application mistakes.
Learn more about these common medical school application mistakes and how to avoid them.
After you submit your primary applications through AACOMAS, you will receive secondary applications. It’s best to complete your secondaries as soon as possible while still leaving yourself enough time to craft meaningful answers.
Try to respond to your secondaries within 2 weeks of receiving them. Ensure you tailor each secondary to the specific school, and don’t forget to match DO school names on each secondary application.
Learn what to expect from your secondary application, including common questions and how to prepare: AACOMAS Secondary Application Guide.
AACOMAS is the application service for DO schools, and AMCAS is the application service for MD schools. The process for submitting your application is very similar, with a few important differences.
Yes, you can apply to DO schools and MD schools at the same time, but you will need to do so through separate services—AACOMAS and AMCAS.
Ensure you adjust each application based on the schools you are applying to. For example, you need a letter of recommendation from a DO for your AACOMAS application. If you are applying through multiple services, you may want to use a service such as Interfolio so that your letter writers only need to submit their letters once.
The process of getting into DO schools is very much the same as MD schools. Expect the same amount of planning and preparation for both. One small area that could be easier is that DO schools, in general, require lower GPA and MCAT scores for acceptance.
Schooling for DOs is just as long and rigorous as it is for MDs. Both DOs and MDs need to complete four years of medical school followed by residency, and nearly every specialization available to an MD is available to a DO. Additionally, DOs need to complete about 200 hours of OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine) training.
MCAT scores for acceptance at DO schools are generally a little lower than averages for MD schools. Keep in mind that requirements and averages will vary for each specific school.
AACOMAS MCAT Score Average: 504.31 vs. AMCAS MCAT Score Average: 511.90.
Yes. You MUST have at least one letter of recommendation from a DO for your AACOMAS application. Ensure this letter is strong and comes from someone who knows you well.
To be a competitive applicant, you need to have osteopathic extracurricular experience. MD exposure, research, and clinical experience is still useful, but you need to have some direct experience with osteopathic medicine. Ideally, it’s best to involve yourself in the osteopathic community to ensure you have at least one strong letter of recommendation from a DO.
Med School Insiders will help you create a stand out DO school application tailored to the schools of your choosing. Our team is built of doctors who have years of experience serving on MD and DO admissions committees, so you’ll receive key insights on the selection process.
We’re dedicated to creating a generation of happier, healthier, and more effective future doctors. Our Comprehensive Medical School Admissions Packages are tailored to your needs and the specific schools you are applying to. We offer AACOMAS Application Editing as well as one-on-one advising, essay editing, mock interviews, and more.
Still not sure which route is best for you? Learn more: MD vs. DO: Allopathic/Osteopathic Doctor and Medical School Comparison.
